London, Dec 11 (AFP) Leeds United scored twice late on to beat Yorkshire rivals Hull 2-0 as they returned to the top of the English Championship table with a seventh successive league win.

The Whites have now gone 10 games unbeaten in total, with their veteran manager Marcelo Bielsa looking to lead Leeds, a fallen giant of the English game, back into the Premier League for the first time since the 2003/04 season.

Only the top two sides at the end of the regular campaign are assured of promotion into English football's lucrative top flight but Leeds' latest win put them 11 points clear of third-place Fulham.

They had to work hard for victory over Hull on Tuesday, however, and it wasn't until Jordy de Wijs put through his own net 16 minutes from time that the deadlock was broken at Elland Road.

But Leeds soon made sure of victory when, following a swift counter-attack after a Hull corner, Ezgjan Alioski followed up to score after Patrick Bamford had hit the post.

West Bromwich Albion, however, will have the chance to leapfrog Leeds at Wigan on Wednesday.

"It was a game of two different halves," said Bielsa.

"In the first half we were good, but we faced an opponent with a very attractive style of play.

"We were superior than them in the second half, though."

Fulham stayed third despite losing 2-1 at Preston in a match where both sides finished a man down.

Sean Maguire put the hosts ahead in the 23rd minute at Deepdale and five minutes later Fulham's Denis Odoi received a straight red card after an aerial challenge with Patrick Bauer.

Preston's Joe Rafferty then saw red for a challenge on Joe Bryan in first-half stoppage time.

David Nugent doubled Preston's lead early in the second half before Aleksandar Mitrovic's deflected shot raised hopes of a Fulham fightback.

Meanwhile Millwall ended a run of three draws with a 2-1 victory at Bristol City.

Murray Wallace and Jake Copper gave Millwall a two-goal lead but Callum O'Dowda ensured a nervous final 20 minutes for the south London side when he pulled a goal back for City.

Paddy McNair's late penalty saw Middlesbrough avoid defeat in a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest after Ryan Yates had scored for the Midlands club midway through the second half.

At the bottom of the table, Stoke won 3-0 at home to fellow strugglers Luton and Huddersfield grabbed a late winner at Charlton. AFP SSC

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